Rail-stay.



J. M. VAIL.

RAIL STAY.

APPLICATION FILED JANJS. 1909. 921,919. Patented May 1 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. F1 i a i 4 9 9 :15 L 7 WITN ESSESP INVENTOR.

J. .M. VAIL.

BAIL STAY. APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 15 I 1909.

921,919. Patented May 18,

Z SHEETS-SH mum.

gnmeasss; mv%T/0R um W 1 flaw/09W JOSEPH M. VAIL, OF BRYAN, OHIO.

RAIL-STAY.

no.e21,919.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1909.

Application filed January 15, 1909. Serial No. 472,418.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, J OSEPH M. VAIL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bryan, in the county of "Williams and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improved Rail-Stay; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improved means for preventing the longitudinal creeping of railway-rails relative to the ties supporting them; and it has for its object the provision of simple and highly eificient means of this class which forms rigid and secure means for staying a rail against creeping relative to a supporting tie, is capable of being easily and quickly applied without the use of bolts, and is strong and economical in its construction.

A further object of my invention is the provision, in combination with the rail-base clamping-bar and cooperating wedge member, of a key which ooacts with said bar and wedge-member to lock them in engagement with a rail and to prevent a loosening or accidental removal of the wedge-member from its clamping-bar.

The operation, construction and arran ement of the parts of the invention are fu ly described in the following specification, and several embodiments thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,--

. Figure 1 is a perspective view of portions of a railway-rail and tie, with one form of my invention associated therewith. Fig. 1 is a similar view ofv a portion of the tie-plate and attached wedge-member. Fig. 2 is a lan of portions of a rail and tie with another form of the invention associated therewith. Fi 3 is a similar view of a rail and tie with st'l another modification of the invention associated therewith. Fig. 4 is a section on the line x x in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a plan of a portion of a rail and tie with still another form of my invention associated therewith and portions of the same broken away, and Fig. 6 is a section on the line :0 a in Fig. 5.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings, 1 designates a rail, 2 a tie, 3 a tie-plate, which is disposed between the rail-base and tie, and 4 a clamp-bar, which underlies the rail-base and has one end turned upwardly and inwardly, as at 5, to form a hook for em bracing the contiguous edge of the rail-base and has its opposite end enlarged and formed in hook-shape, as shown at 6, to provide a Wedge-receiving groove or notch therein in contiguous position to and in the horizontal plane of the rail-base.

In Fig. 1 the tie-plate 2 is shown as being provided at one side of the rail-base with an integral shoulder or elevated portion 7, which has one end extended beyond a side of the tie-plate to adapt it to roject within the groove in the end 6 of the c amp-bar 4 and to cooperate with such bar and with a tapered key 8 to clamp the rail-base. The shoulder 7 has one side in contact with the rail-base and its opposite side horizontally inclined relative to such rail contacting side to coact with the inner tapered side of the key 8,

which latter is intended to be forced into the groove of the clamp-bar between the loop or closed end thereof and the shoulder 7, as shown, whereby to cause the shoulder 7 and bar 4 to firmly clamp the rail-base in opposition to each other. The key 8 has its inner side notched near its small end, as at 9, to provide teeth for coacting with a complemental tooth 10 on the contiguous side of the shoulder 7 to prevent a withdrawal of the key from engagement with the shoulder and clamp-bar, except when the small end of the key is forced outwardly from the side of the shoulder to release the tooth 10. The key 8 is made from any suitable material which is preferably of a slightly resilient nature to enable its toothed end to be sprung into or out of engagement with the tooth 10. The clamp-bar l is shown as being positioned between the rail-base and tie at one side of the tie-plate whereby it serves as a tie-plate in addition to performing its function as a clamp-bar.

The construction shown in Fig. 2 is the same as that of Fig. 1, except that the wedgemember which is interposed between the key 8 and the rail-base and designated 11 is not an integral part of the tie-plate, but is shown as being secured thereto by a spike 12, which has its shank inserted into registering holes in it and the tie-plate and driven into the tie.

In Figs. 3 and 4 the rail-base coacting wedge-member, which is designated 13, is shown as being formed integral with and projecting from one side of the head of a spike 14, thus adapting the spike to serve both to secure the rail to a tie and to cooperate with the clamp-bar and key 8 to grip the rail-base.

In Figs. 5 and 6, the tie-plate is designated 15, and is shown as having one end bent upwardly and inwardly in spaced relation to the contiguous edge of the rail-base, as at 16, to rovide a socket for the reception of the rai -base coacting wedge-member 17 and the cooperating locking key 1.8. The wedgemember 17 is fashioned to engage over the contiguous edge of the rail-base and has the outer portion of its top preferably reduced, as at 19, to enable the edge of the inwardly turned portion 16 of the tie-plate to abut against the shoulder thus formed, as shown. The outer side of the wedge-member 17 i; tapered or horizontally inclined relative to the rail engaging side thereof, to enable the tapered key 18 when driven between such member and the upturned portion of the tieplate to cooperate with such plate to tighten the wedgemember against the rail-base. The key 18 has its small end notched to engage with a complemental tooth on the outer side of the wedge-member 17, as in the case of the forms above described, to prevent a loosening or accidental removal of the key from engagement with the wedge and hooked portion of the tie-plate. The key 18 is shown as being reduced in thickness at its small or notched end to render it more pliable at such end to facilitate an engaging or disengaging of the teeth on the key and wedgemember.

The reduced portion 19 of the wedge-memher is notched, as at 20, and the edge of the inwardly turned portion of the tie-plate is notched, as at 21, to permit the insertion of 'the shanks of spikes 22 therethrough, which shanks also pass through registering apertures in the major portion of the plate. These spikes secure the tie-plate to the tie and also prevent longitudinal movements of the wedge-member 17 relative to the plate and cooperate with the inwardly turned portion 16 of the plate to hold the wedge-memher down in contact with the plate and railflange. As the shanks of the spikes are of greater thickness than the reduced portion 19 of the Wedge-member at the narrow end thereof the tapered side of the key 18 is notched, as at 23, to receive the laterally protruding portion of the spike. The notch 28 is made of greater length than the registering notch in the wedge-member to allow for relative longitudinal movements of the key.

The end of the tie-plate opposed to the portion 16 thereof is preferably split to enable portions to be turned upwardly and inwardly, as at 24, to embrace the contiguous edge of the rail-base and assist the spikes 25,

which pass through apertures in the flat portion thereof and are driven into the tie, in opposing the thrust of the wedge-member 1.7 on the rail-base The turned up portions 24 may be eliminated if desired and the spikes alone used to oppose the thrust of the wedgemember.

It is apparent that in each of the constructions shown the clamp-bar or the tieplate, as the case may be, the wedge-member and the tapered key cooperate to firmly clamp the rail-base, and that a creeping of the rail in either direction relative to the tie will be pre vented due to the wedge-member being spiked or otherwise suitably secured to the tie.

I wish it to be understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction or arrangement of the parts except in so far as such limitations are specified in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a rail and tie, 01' a me1nber underlying'the rail-base and having an abutment at each end, one oi which bears against the rail-base, a wedge-member bear dng against the opposite side of the rail-base, and a tapered key cooperating with said wedge-member and the contiguous abutment to force the wedge-member against the rail-base, said wedge-member and key liaving complemcntal interlocking portions to maintain them in set position, and the key having its interlocking portion yieldable to adapt it to be sprung to disengage the wed gemember.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a rail and a tie, of a tieplate having an end turned up at the side of the rail to form a socket, abutting wedge members disposed in said socket and. cooperating therewith to grip one side 01' the railbase, spikes driven tl'irough one oi said members to hold it in contact with the rail-base and to cooperate therewith to secure the rail to the tie, said Wedge members having complemental interlocking portions adapted to maintain. them in set position, one 01 said members being yieldable to adapt it to be s 'irung to disengage the companion wedge member, and means at the opposite side of the rail-base for opposing the thrust of the Wedge members.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH. M. VAIL.

Witnesses:

O. W. OWEN, HAZEL B. HIETT. 

